NECC gets $10K early college program grant

By Carol FeingoldCorrespondent

Tuesday

Feb 13, 2018 at 1:08 PMFeb 13, 2018 at 1:08 PM

In an effort to help high schools students prepare for success in college, the Massachusetts Boards of Higher Education and Elementary and Secondary Education recently gave preliminary designation status to 21 Early College programs, and awarded more than $80,000 in grants to public colleges, universities and high schools in the midst of developing Early College programs.

Northern Essex Community College (NECC), which is partnering with Amesbury, Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen High Schools, as well as Pentucket Regional High School, Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, and Lawrence Technical School, was awarded $10,000.

Early College is nothing new for Amesbury High School (AHS), which has been offering college courses to its students for over 25 years, but the state’s new proposal is just a little different.

"We’re in the planning stages with NECC of the new model," AHS Guidance Director Mary Beth Exner said, "but our model is going to look very similar to what we have now."

Flexibility has been key to the success of the program since it started. The AHS Dual Enrollment program began as a partnership with NECC back in 1992, and has undergone several changes. In the beginning, the state paid for it, but that funding was cut. Then the AHS students had to pick up the tab for any courses they took, but could apply to the Amesbury Educational Foundation, Inc., (AEFI) for scholarships.

In 2008, the Massachusetts Department of Education encouraged by Gov. Deval Patrick once again began funding the dual enrollment tuition for Massachusetts high school students.

The AHS Dual Enrollment program started with video-teleconferencing and then moved to online courses as well as NECC professors coming to AHS and students traveling to the NECC campus to take courses with college students.

Since 2012, AHS also has been offering Early College courses for grades 10, 11 and 12 on the AHS campus, with the exception of grade 12 spring courses and summer courses offered on the NECC Haverhill and Lawrence campuses.

"The state’s new Early College model is for grades 11 and 12 on college campuses," McAndrews said, "not at the high school and not for grade 10. That’s a big deal for us."

Under the new Early College program, NECC will offer core courses in English, psychology, math and science for 11th grade students. Students in 12th grade will study computer science, health, engineering, or education. The program also will bring employers into classes so students can engage future career options.

"We believe in the Early College model tremendously, but we’re trying to figure out what our model will look like under the new Early College designation," McAndrews said. "Currently we have 15 sophomores, 12 juniors and 14 seniors" in the Early College program.

"In addition, our students can take Dual Enrollment courses in partnership with NECC and Salem State University," Exner said. "These courses are taught here and on college campuses. Some of the kids take Salem State University classes in the evening either at AHS in the fall or at Triton Regional High School in the spring. They also have the option to take courses at Salem State University."

The Dual Enrollment and Early College courses count as graduation requirements from high school as well as college credits.

"In Early College it costs $110/credit hour," NECC President Lane Glenn said. "That’s about 40 percent off to attend NECC and it saves you $20,000 to $50,00 at a private college. It saves the families a lot of money.

"It also creates an opportunity for students, who might be on the fence about college. It gets students prepared for college and the rigor of college work while they are still in high school where they have a bit more support."

Glenn’s daughter Thomasina is a senior at AHS and has earned all by one course for her associate’s degree at NECC through the Early College and Dual Enrollment programs.

"I’m getting my associate’s degree in May in music business," she said, "two weeks before my AHS graduation. I started my second semester of freshman year with an online class and I fell in love with online classes. I can do the work when I get home on my own time and have much more flexibility.AHS senior Isabella Sollazzo has taken four courses at NECC and one at Salem State. She should have a total of 36 college credits when she graduates AHS this spring.

"My goal is to graduate college in three years using all the credits," she said. "I love the program. I think it’s a great opportunity for kids questioning whether they think they could go to college after high school.

"It slowly integrates you so you’re ready for the next step. The biggest thing I got out of my Early College experience was the experience of taking college courses, but still feeling safe in the high school environment."

Gaining college experience may be "the biggest thing" for Sollazzo, but earning college credit for classes taken while still in high school is important, too.

"When AHS was developing its program back in 2009," Exner said, "the state colleges and universities were getting together to design a block of courses that would guarantee credit no matter which state college or university you went to.

"It was a happy coincidence that we structured all our classes to meet the MassTransfer Block."

High school students studying at a Massachusetts community college may be eligible for a program called MassTransfer Block, a set of general education, core, or distribution requirements, consisting of 34 college-level credits.

"Early College programs are crucial for exposing students to the opportunities higher-education can create and with these designations, more students will be able to earn college credits at no cost," Governor Charlie Baker said. "We are pleased to work with these school districts to expand or launch Early College programs so their students are better prepared for successful academic and professional careers after high school."

"We’ve been doing it since 2012," Exner said, "and it’s been successful. The state now came and said other high schools and colleges want to do this and they have an application for state money."

The $10,000 competitive planning grants will help schools become designated Early College programs by the Boards of Higher Education and Elementary and Secondary Education. Schools granted preliminary designation are expected to apply for final designation in February, with the goal of launching programs this fall.

"We’re going to start next year," Exner said. "It’s been a great program. We want to continue to create pathways for kids to have opportunities to explore classes, explore what they may want to pursue."

"I’m delighted to see the Commonwealth making this commitment to Early College programs," said Carlos E. Santiago, Commissioner of Higher Education. "We know that 70 percent of Massachusetts jobs will require today’s high school students to have some kind of post-secondary degree or certification. Early College will help us create a new pipeline to college for students, who may have felt it was beyond their reach."

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